Ward Number Six

Ward Number Six, short story by Anton Chekhov, published in Russian in 1892 as “Palata No. 6.” The story is set in a provincial mental asylum and explores the philosophical conflict between Ivan Gromov, a patient, and Andrey Ragin, the director of the asylum. Gromov denounces the injustice he sees everywhere, while Dr. Ragin insists on ignoring injustice and other evils; partially as a result of this way of thinking, he neglects to remedy the shoddy conditions of the mental ward. When Dr. Ragin is himself committed, he realizes the fallacy of his philosophy and, too late, understands that evil must be confronted. The story made an enormous impression when it was first published. The mental ward was taken as a symbol for Russia itself and the madness of the elite, who, instead of dealing with Russia’s problems, chose to view them from a distance.